Kansas: Dust In The Wind

In 1977, I had tickets to see Kansas and Styx in concert in Huntington, WV – but for reasons I don’t remember, that show was cancelled. While I got to see Styx in concert in Charleston, WV in 1981, I never had the opportunity to see Kansas live. Their best selling single, “Dust in the Wind,” has become a signature tune for the group from the Sunflower State.

It fits our week long look at the violin as band member Robbie Steinhardt provides an excellent solo that is underscored by a viola track which he also plays. A viola is tuned a fifth lower than a violin and an octave higher than a ‘cello at C-G-D-A. The violin is tuned G-D-A-E.

Violin and big brother Viola

The song also is our TV Thursday cut as it was used in a Subaru Tribeca commercial from a few years back. The guitar part on “Dust in the Wind” features two acoustic guitars playing in unison. One is tuned to standard tuning while the other is “high strung” like the octave strings of a 12-string guitar. This tuning configuration has been also called “Nashville Tuning” as it was used in many sessions recorded in Music City, USA.

I keep a guitar tuned this way, but it has been years since I’ve used it for anything. Perhaps, I get it out and fool with it soon. It really adds a nice touch to recordings. On Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown” LP he used a standard six string on one channel and a “high strung” acoustic on the other channel. With headphones, it was like you were in the middle of a 12-string guitar. It was a very nice effect.

But we are here to discuss the violin aren’t we? Our feature violin tune charted at #6 and was Kansas’ only top ten single. Its LP, “Point of Know Return,” was their highest charting album at #4, but not the band’s best seller. While “Point of Know Return” was certified quadruple platinum, “Leftoverture” (that peaked at #5) was quintuple platinum. Former Kansas member Kerry Livgren wrote this tune.

Alternate Live Version

This live version from a few years ago is an “unplugged” version that features a string quartet. The string arrangement is varied from the original Robbie Steinhart viola/violin collaboration. Robbie plays an electric violin that appears to be processed via MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) with a synthesizer.

The string quartet has the typical arrangement of first and second violins, viola, and ‘cello. I like the pizzicato effect they use on “just a drop of water” line. It is a nice alternative, but I am still partial to the original.

Subaru Tribeca Commercial

Kansas Extra – Live & Studio

Here’s a cut that introduced me to Kansas back in 1974. It was during summer break and I was back home and caught Kansas on a rerun of Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. The original episode ran in February, but I apparently missed that show. I was blown away by the whole experience. The song “Can I Tell You” comes from their self-titled debut album and features the fiddle of Robbie Steinhardt.

Ambrosia: Holding On To Yesterday

Ambrosia’s “Holding on to Yesterday” is a song that you never hear much on the radio today, but its been a classic since its 1975 release. The keyboards are fantastic with Rhodes electric piano, the Grangertron synthesizer, and Hammond organ swells and effects. Ambrosia’s vocals are impeccable. While the guitar lead is hot, it is not over the top. The thing that makes this song is the soothing violin played by Daniel Kobialka from Leonard Bernstein’s orchestra.

Ambrosia’s self-titled first album was nominated for the Best Engineered Album Grammy. It is no wonder, as the album was engineered and mastered by Alan Parsons. Parsons, who has had his own recordings, was the engineer for The Beatles “Abbey Road” LP. Unfortunately, this first single by the band only made it to #17 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts.

Fairport Convention: Crazy Man Michael

One of my favorite fiddle players is Dave Swarbrick who has performed with the Ian Campbell Folk Group, Martin Carthy, Whippersnapper, Swarb’s Lazarus, and is probably best known for his tenure with Fairport Convention.

Swarb’s first encounter with the band was as a sideman on Fairport’s third LP: Unhalfbricking. He played on four cuts; however, his contribution on the album’s longest song, “A Sailor’s Life,” secured him in the minds of Fairport as a possible inclusion as a full band member – a role he continued in until 1979.

By the end of 1969, Swarb was entrenched in Fairport and played a significant role in their most successful LP to date: “Liege and Lief.” Thought by many as an album that defined the genre of English Folk-Rock, the LP features five traditional cuts and three originals written in the style of the other songs on the album.

“Crazy Man Michael” the LP’s final cut is a medium tempo waltz that was penned by Dave Swarbrick and Richard Thompson and features the late Sandy Denny on vocals.

In 1999, the diminutive muse of the fiddle was surprised to learn that his obituary had been printed in the Daily Telegraph, the UK’s most widely circulated newspaper. After learning the truth, the newspaper retracted the story.

Over the years, Swarb has suffered from a hearing loss (due to playing at high volumes) and emphysema. Following a successful lung transplant, Swarbrick rejoined the world of music in a new band with a name that characterized his symbolic rise from the dead – the band is called Swarb’s Lazarus.

Michael Hedges & Friends: Get Back

This last week I received an email from my old college friend Greg Rector. If you remember, I mentioned Greg a while back as he always had the most amazing album collection of anyone on campus. Greg and I reconnected last year via Facebook. I hadn’t seen or heard of him since the seventies, but he has served as the inspiration for this blog on more than one occasion.

In last week’s email, Greg who has been a regular concert attendee since the 70s, related that he and his wife will be seeing Elton John and Leon Russell in concert and that caused him to reminisce about 1972.

I was fortunate to catch Elton at St. John’s (old) Arena in Columbus [Ohio]. I had not paid too much attention to the "Honky Chateau" album - had it, but didn't concentrate on content. When Elton came on stage that night, much to my surprise was "some fiddle player" - wow, interesting. Obviously, not just any “fiddle player” but Jean Luc Ponty! Simply amazing! Then that summer, I went to the Akron Rubber Bowl (not a rock music hotbed) and was fortunate to catch Jefferson Airplane and lo and behold - there was little old Papa John Creach! These were my first intros to the violin in a concert environment and both where amazing. I thought maybe you could get creative.

Well Greg, you have your wish. All of this week, I’ll feature the violin as a rock n’ roll instrument. While some of the names people will be familiar, others will not. I’ll be fitting these into the mold of my regular daily features.

We’ll hear of course from Jean Luc Ponty, Papa John Creech, and a few others. In fact Elton John’s “Honky Chateau,” an album I hadn’t listened to for decades, came out of the closet and proved to be an excellent album by the bespectacled Reginald Dwight that I am featuring it on Saturday. It features Ponty on two cuts.

Today’s Monday Cover is by the late Michael Hedges who was a phenomenal guitarist and harp-guitarist. Hedges often took the guitar to newer heights and greater possibilities with alternative tuning schemas. This undated recording from the New Varsity Theatre in Palo Alto, California was from either the late 70s or early 80s. Backing Hedges is Michael Manring on bass and Darol Anger on violin.

I first became aware of Anger’s music in the magazine “Frets” in the late 1970s. I won a year’s subscription to this new publication by submitting a winning crosswords puzzle to its parent publication – “Guitar Player.” Anger's music and instruments were often featured in “Frets” despite the fact his violin has no frets.

In 1977, Anger became a founding member of the David Grisman Quintet that included Grisman on mandolin, Anger on violin and other assorted instruments, Tony Rice on guitar, Todd Phillips on second mandolin, and Bill Amatneek. This album was pivotal in that it was moving Grisman’s style from Newgrass to a nomenclature he coined as “Dawg Music.”

To me, Anger was a complete unknown; however, he had impeccable talent. His clandestine status did not last long as Anger was constantly contributing on numerous albums in various styles. In today’s cover recording, Michael Hedges leads the trio in an acoustic version of The Beatles’ “Get Back.” Because of the sparse instrumentation in a live context, you can experience Darol Anger’s talent in all of its glory. Enjoy!

The Beatles & Billy Preston Live

This 1969 recording comes from the motion picture "Let it Be" and features The Beatles live on the roof of the Apple Records' office in London. Billy Preston accompanies the Fab Four on a Fender Rhodes electric piano. Shortly after this song, the municipal bobbies broke-up the impromptu session.

Edgar Winter's White Trash: Dying to Live

It’s Spiritual Sunday and while today’s tune doesn’t have an overt religious message, it has great spiritual connotations. “Dying to Live” was featured on the first of the two albums released by Edgar Winter’s White Trash. Recorded in 1971, “Dying to Live” was one of two gospel influenced songs on the album. The other was “Fly Away,” which was sung by Jerry Lacroix. Edgar sings today’s tune.

Lyrics

You know I've heard it said there's beauty in distortion.
By some people who've withdrawn to find their heads
Now they say that there is humor in misfortune
You know I wonder if they'll laugh when I am dead

Why am I fighting to live if I 'm just living to fight?
Why am I trying to see when there ain't nothing in sight?
Why am I trying to give when no one gives me a try?
Why am I dying to live if I'm just living to die?

Hey, you know some people say that values are subjective,
But they're just speaking words that someone else has said.
And so they live and fight and kill with no objective.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the living from the dead.

Why am I fighting to live if I 'm just living to fight?
Why am I trying to see when there ain't nothing in sight?
Why am I trying to give when no one gives me a try?
Why am I dying to live if I'm just living to die?

Yeah, you know I used to weave my words into confusion.
And so I hope you'll understand me when I 'm through
You know I used to live my life as an illusion,
But reality will make my dreams come true.

So I'll keep fighting to live till there's no reason to fight
And I'll keep trying to see until the end is in sight
You know I'm trying to give so c'mon give me a try
You know I'm dying to live until I'm ready
'til I'm ready
'til I'm ready
'til I'm ready to die

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Street Survivors

Last week, the world received the news that former high school gym teacher Leonard Skinner passed away from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 77. Dave Itzkoff, of The New York Times, memorialized Skinner as “arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture, whose enforcement of a draconian classroom policy against long hair inspired some of his students to name their Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.”

While Skinner did not approve at first of his former students using his name for their band, he eventually accepted it and according to his son, “He kind of ate it up.”

Today’s Saturday Album Feature is Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 1977 “Street Survivors” LP. Three days after the album’s release, the bands’ chartered plane crashed killing the lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant; guitarist, Steve Gaines; backup vocalist, Cassie Gaines; the assistant road manager; the pilot; and co-pilot. The others on the plane suffered from multiple injuries.

Steve Gaines had joined the band about a year before the crash and “Street Survivors” was his only recorded output with the band. The album features two songs written by Gaines and two cowritten by Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant. One of those tunes was my favorite cut on the album and the flip side of the “What’s Your Name” single. I wore out “I Know A Little” on the jukebox at the Pizza Hut in Grayson, Kentucky that winter.

The original album cover depicted the band engulfed in flames. A prophetic end to the band at this juncture and it joins the pantheon of records that were ominously released prior to the death of the artists. Some of the others include Hank Williams’ “I’ll Never Get out of this World Alive,” Buddy Holly’s “It Doesn’t Matter Any More,” and Patsy Cline’s “I fall to Pieces” to name a few. Out of respect for the dead, the album cover was changed to a photo of the band and MCA began recalling the “flame” cover.

I did not get a copy with the original cover until December 1977 when I spotted one in a record store in the Louisville suburb of St. Matthews. It was the only one in the store and I was surprised that it had not yet been purchased. So, I grabbed it up.

The album produced one hit single, “What’s Your Name?” This song written by Gary Rossington and Ronnie Van Zant peaked on the US charts in January 1978 at #13. It did better in Canada where it reached the #6 slot.

The second single, a Gaines/Van Zant composition, did not fare as well. “You Got that Right” only charted at #69. Gaines shares vocal duties with Ronnie Van Zant on this tune. Gaines joined the band in 1976 replacing Ed King; ironically, both were born on the same day – September 14, 1949.

One of “Street Survivors’” better known LP tracks was a song that told of the danger of substance abuse. It was written by Van Zant as a warning to the members of the band as collectively and individually were indulging themselves on drugs and alcohol.

While these four songs represent the best of this LP, I have a YouTube playlist will all of the songs from the original album in order. Long live Lynyrd Skynyrd and Leonard Skinner.

The Impressions: Gypsy Woman

Back in 1970, one of my favorite songs on the radio was Brian Hyland’s “Gypsy Woman.” Maybe it was the distinctive sound of the Wurlitzer Electric Piano that starts the song. I didn’t know at the time that it was a cover of an older song which was written by Curtis Mayfield and had been previously recorded by his group the Impressions. “Gypsy Woman” was the first hit record by Impressions after their former lead singer Jerry Butler left the band.

Mayfield sang the lead on this record that charted at #20 in 1961. Their rendition was much different than Brian Hyland’s later hit. For one thing, the Impressions have a cha-cha-cha type of rhythm and is at a faster tempo. Like the electric piano made Hyland’s version, on this tune it is the castanets that are the signature instrument.

Brian Hyland’s rendition

“Gypsy Woman” was the comeback recording for Hyland and is a far cry from his sophomoric hit tunes of “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yello Polkadot Bikini” and “Sealed with a Kiss.” It also was his biggest selling single and his first and last hit for the new Uni record label. While his first single (“Itsy . . .”) was his highest charting record at #1, “Gypsy Woman” did slightly better than Hyland’s other big kiss that also charted at #3 by remaining on the charts for two weeks longer.

Although chart performance is based on numerous factors, the #3 slot did not deter “Gypsy Woman” from being his biggest seller with over a million units sold to his credit. It was the only certified gold record for the artist. “Gypsy Woman” was produced by fellow early 60s rocker Del Shannon. Listen closely and you’ll hear Shannon’s influence on the organ parts as well as his voice among the back-up singers.